I used to be a pretty hardcore fan of the stuff, but eventually partially due to the lack of examples I liked and partially due to the increasingly large and increasingly obnoxious fanbase (not to pick around for trouble, but deviantART has some pretty solid examples of what I tragically speak of).

And Ghost in the Shell (the original manga, not the movie or the subsequent sequels or spinoffs) was the only manga/anime/whathaveyou I liked up until recently, and even then, having seen "Blade Runner" for the first time recently it just feels kinda...Meh.

So now I classify my interest level as "I like it as much as the next guy". I like the style (one of my own styles is primarily manga-influenced), but the oddball characters and strange plotlines do not appeal to me nearly as much anymore. I loved the stuff from around my middle school days to a few months ago, but now the stuff just seems to have lost its lustere and its magic as I discover other things (which reminds me, I need to grab more Neil Gaiman stuff).

And you?

(I do hope I managed to phrase all that in a way that wouldn't scuff up trouble. If I have caused any problems, the mods have my unobjected permission to pants the thread into oblivion, and I prehumously apologize for any such issues that may come up. But if not, then let us continue rocking!)

(By the way, I've poked around and you guys know your stuff! It impresses me almost to the point of being frightening. I'm honored. It's rare that I come across a nexus of creativity on the net where people are as knowledgeable and articulate regarding matters of their craft as you guys---even some others 'in the biz' that I've met elsewhere haven't had the same combination of professionalism and ability. You make this stuff look good. Truly I walk among titans here.)_________________"Please do not use the seat belts as S&M restraints!"

I think it is just a phase. It will pass as with all other styles. The art isn't set in stone. It evolves. It changes. Now where it is evolving to would be an interesting discussion. Is there anything in the manga style that might continue forward? And to answer that question, I think we would need to first identify any contribution to comics that manga has given. Or hasn't it? What do people here think manga's contribution(s) might be?

I think the biggest contribution is book format comics. Longer stories, hundreds of pages long. This is resulting in other publishers doing trade paperbacks of their older comics....and hopefully a growth in western straight to bookformat comics too.

Manga has also appealed to a much wider audience than the good ol' American comics, because of the wide variety of themes and genres it handles. This too will affect what kinds of comics publishers a willing to make in the west to the better. So it's all good.

The drawing style itself I find to be a minor detail.

You should check out Planets for an excellent sci-fi manga, with realistic drawing style and story. Just bought the first book in Eden, and am loving it...it's not too far from Planets in style. Then you should check out Adolf, by Tezuka, it's an excellent manga. Buddha and Phoenix series are also well worth it. There are a lot of good manga out there, and there are a lot of bad ones. I tend to like the more mature ones without too much of the silly humor. I don't like Dragonball, for instance, just not appealing at all...still it's one of the more popular ones.

I guess to a certain extent it is pretty much a fad as was said. I first came across manga (growing up in the uk) only about 10 years ago and despite looking for it it was hard to find until the net made things easier, so first reason is 'its new and shiny and people like new things'

Secondly, I'm not sure you can describe it as 'cult' anymore as theres such a big following. Its a style thats very easy to do (my own style is markedly influenced) and looks very cute so you can have fun with it.

I don't think its the kinda fad that will dissapear but it popularity does come from it being new and being everywhere. You only have to click on DA to see how many popular prints are influenced by the anime style.

hope it doesn't annoy you too much in the future, its just somthing you have to get used to I guess.

Tried to get into the Battle Royale books for a while because I liked the film. When they do a Manga extension of a francise that already exists (see Ichi The Killer as well) they always seem to just take the subject matter that's already there and make it more graphic for the sake of it. So you've got books cherading as "mature" which are really written with the emotional maturity of a 12 year old.

I believe the reason behind manga's success is that it comes in a variety of genres intended for specific age groups and specific genders. A lot of people get turned off by manga simply because they come across one that's intended for a younger audience or something that is not intended for them and they think all manga are like that. There are tons of great manga intended for older men and older women. The art style and the plot lines are different too depending on the target demographic. I would suggest exploring manga more before giving it your final judgement Try mangafox or somemanga for somemanga selections.

I like all forms of comic art and art in general so have nothing against Manga and have dabbled with the style myself because it might be a style a client wants.

To me though it is far from being a new art form. I can recall my cousin aged 12 (1978) drawing pics very similar to the Manga Females..large heads enormous eys, triangle nose, minimal mouse and then a long sleek body. My nan also used to draw this way.

The 'new' element for me is thus the digitalisation, the shading and of course the erotic image it has._________________Cartoonist and Illustrator with a warped sense of humour
http://www.funkykiss-design.com

If you have to ask why, you haven't read this, this, this, or this. See the amazing varieties.

Manga. It's not just about deformed men and women in spandex fighting neo-nazies or zombies from parallel dimensions.

As for why manga style is such a huge trend these days. Put simply, manga is highbrow art brought down to ghetto level. From a creation stand point, first time manga doodlers don't have to be intimidated by art from the likes of Frank Cho or Bruce Timm. Manga style can be as flexible and forgiving as you want it to be. Look at Hunter X Hunter. The art is almost effortless. It's noobie-friendly. But if you're really gung-ho, with an art academy certificate to show off, the sky's the limit. Look at Gantz and Berserk. Yet, while the comic panels may look like ball-busting labor, there is never a sense of "utterly impossible to achieve" like Jade Empire comics (that ostensibly smacks of slave-driven, zero-sleep work) or American ones (where so much attention is crammed into a single panel, all sense of continuity and fluidity is lost).

In the end, manga simply comes with a better pacing, is a breeze to flip through despite page count in the hundreds, and some of them actually makes you cry. Like literally. You just sit there and sob like a son of a gun who's just come into the epiphany that he's a son of a gun who hurt people. And the line art is just simple, totally unremarkable. It's like a tease going, hey, you can totally draw this. Go on, you'll be a fool not to try.